The FIH Men’s Junior World Cup 2025 in Chennai will be etched in the memory of Indian hockey fans for the team’s spirited comeback in the last quarter. Trailing Argentina 0-2 until the 48th minute, India pumped in four goals in 12 minutes to snatch the bronze medal. At the heart of that comeback was a dramatic penalty-stroke conversion by Shardanand Tiwari.
The defender and penalty-corner specialist from Lucknow, who started from humble beginnings, emerged as a key performer in the knockouts. He not only helped India secure a podium finish, but also delivered when the team looked up to him for crucial penalty-corner conversions.
Tiwari’s heroic moment came in the bronze-medal playoff against Argentina, although it was a penalty stroke and not a corner. Indian colts staged an electrifying turnaround in the final quarter. With the scores locked at 2-2 and less than four minutes remaining, India were awarded a penalty stroke. It was decided in the team meeting that Tiwari will take those. The pressure was immense on the 21-year-old, as an error would likely mean a heart-breaking fourth place finish.
Rising to the occasion, the Lucknow lad showed composure beyond his age and flicked the ball, beating the goalkeeper and giving India a crucial 3-2 lead, which sparked an explosion of joy in a packed Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium. That goal didn’t only put India ahead but also increased pressure on the Argentine side. They pulled their goalkeeper out and some frantic hockey saw India earn a penalty-corner, which was converted by Anmol Ekka.
“I was thinking how to beat the goalkeeper, but I had faith that I will hit and execute it. My team members believed that I can do it,” Tiwari told RevSportz. He scored five goals in the tournament, all from penalty-corners and strokes. Other than those, in the quarterfinal shootout against Belgium, he netted thrice.
Tiwari played his first junior World Cup in 2021 in Bhubaneswar, where his famous goal against Belgium helped India seal a semi-final spot with a 1-0 win. Against the same opponents in Chennai, he was the difference between the teams. “I know I needed to improve but that performance against Belgium gave me a confidence boost,” he admitted. “And now I’m proving it here. Now people will recognise me that Sharda is also a player.”
Reflecting on the pressure he was feeling inside, Tiwari said, “Just before the World Cup, India went to the Sultan of Johor Cup, and I was not a part of the team. Everyone kept asking why I wasn’t selected. When I got the chance to convert the penalty strokes, I felt deep inside that this is my last opportunity to prove myself.”
Tiwari was overlooked in the Hockey India League (HIL) 2025 auction and he expressed his disappointment after the bronze medal. “I was unsold but didn’t feel bad,” Tiwari stated with a tinge of disappointment. “I knew something was missing. But I feel I proved it here.”
He missed the 2023 junior World Cup in Malaysia and he feels that period was the worst phase of his life. “I don’t want to remember that phase. I was selected for the junior World Cup but fell ill just a few days before the camp,” Tiwari recalled.
“From 2023 to 2024, I was injured and unwell. First I suffered from typhoid for two to three months and failed to maintain fitness. After recovering, I sustained a knee injury and struggled for another four months.”
Now fully fit and in-form, Tiwari is aiming to play in the Hockey India League if he gets a chance and also aiming to debut for the Indian senior team. “I’ll prove myself if I get a chance,” he concluded.
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